NEW ARRIVALS and GREAT VALUES - July 20, 2017

KILLIAN  2015 “Adam & Eve Vineyard” Russian River Chardonnay

Thirty years making wines in some of California’s most prestigious wineries and finally Jean and Ed Killian decided to make their own wine.  These are exciting times!  Jean has always loved Ed’s Chardonnay.  It has been a favorite of many over the years, and has produced many a gold medal.  

Killian’s intention is to remain very small, and produce only distinctive, elegant wines from great appellations.  They will add a couple of red varietals when they can secure fruit sources that they believe will support their quality goals.

Attractive light-gold color with an open star jasmine, citrus blossom nose above red apple, stone fruit and hints of smoky oak.  Flavors are reminiscent of fresh apple and pear and are framed in a richly-bodied mouthfeel that finishes with balanced acidity and just a hint of fruit sweetness.  This will be one of the best aging of the Killian Chardonnays and should be optimally balanced about a year after release.

CAPITOL CELLARS SPECIAL PRICING...$25.95

SEVENTY FIVE WINE COMPANY 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon 

The Seventy Five Wine Company revels in expressing California wine country’s sun, earth and abundance. The wines reveal a history of care and craftsmanship that begins in the vineyard.

Tuck Beckstoffer honed his skills around some of the most talented vineyard managers and winemakers in the world.  The Seventy Five Wine Company draws on a great foundation of inspiration, and was created as a conscious reflection of Beckstoffer's personal belief in and commitment to the production of high quality, reasonably priced wines from the Napa Valley - his home since 1975.

The Beckstoffer family has historic connections to the vineyards of northern California, and deep roots in the wine world. The Seventy Five Wine Company is dedicated to pioneering change by producing premium wines of great distinction at reasonable prices. In Tuck’s own words, “I personally promise to over-deliver on every one of your expectations: wine quality and pedigree.” 

This exceptionally rich yet balanced Cabernet Sauvignon expresses wonderful dense aromas of ripe burnt early season cherries and scorched earth. The palate showcases classic notes of sweet black cherry, cassis and black raspberry. Tannins are beautifully integrated into this multidimensional, full-bodied yet wonderfully balanced wine. Finish is exceptional and lingering. This wine can certainly be enjoyed now but will only get better with age.

CAPITOL CELLARS SPECIAL PRICING…$19.95

OLEMA 2014 Sonoma County Chardonnay

#1 in "Best of 2016: Robert Parker, Top 3 Greatest Value Wines of the Year"...The 2014 Chardonnay from Sonoma is a heck of a bottle of wine, with honeysuckle, lemon blossom and a touch of white peach all present in this wine that offers clean, pure fruit, medium body and a distant hint of wood. This is a terrific value and sleeper selection. 

CAPITOL CELLARS SPECIAL PRICING…$13.95

HUNGRY BLONDE 2014 Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay 

Hungry Blonde is the brainchild of Sandy and Mike Davis, successful Southern California IT entrepreneurs. As Mike tells it, “[Sandy and I] were talking one morning about where we were in life and where we wanted to be. Sandy wanted to continue her education - singing lessons, cooking lessons, exploring the world. She has a hunger for life, and at that defining moment I called her my ‘Hungry Blonde'.” 

At the time, the Davises were in the process of buying a set of historic Napa Valley vineyards; their original plan for the “Hungry Blonde” label was to make 25 cases of wine for personal consumption. But friends of the couple went nuts for the Chardonnay, which is sourced from a single vineyard in Napa’s cool Carneros subzone. With fourth-generation Napa winemaker Cary Gott, the Davises made 40 barrels’ worth of the 2012 vintage, which won a rare Double Gold medal at the San Francisco Chronicle wine competition.

Give the glass a swirl to release vibrant, creamy scents of apples, lemon curd and vanilla.  The wine’s focused flavors suggest green apples, lemon zest and, thanks to pretty French oak, a slight graham cracker note.

CAPITOL CELLARS SPECIAL PRICING…$25.95

GREAT VALUES CONTINUE!

GANDONA “Encosta” 2014 Napa Valley CABERNET SAUVIGNON…The story of Gandona is rooted in tradition and a passion for transforming land into something extraordinary. It’s born from an estate that rests upon a sloping hillside high above the beauty of Napa Valley and Lake Hennessey (Pritchard Hill) – its vineyards, carved from the steep terrain and planted in four blocks, each possess their own distinct personality. 

In 2006 Manuel and Cristina Pires met Bob Long on Pritchard Hill and talked candidly as they toured the vineyards that Bob spoke of their life on Pritchard Hill. He had a fondness for grape growing, and the capability of the Hills’s legendary soil. So thin that it barely covers the rock underneath, the soil had indeed proven ideal for producing Cabernet Sauvignon by neighboring estates like Colgin Cellars, Bryant Family, David Arthur and Ovid.

Encosta (“slope”) Cabernet Sauvignon originates from the steeply terraced hillsides of Gandona Estate and its terra cotta-colored, volcanic soil. The 2014 vintage is a wine celebrating the very soul of hillside fruit capturing the essence of the vine’s interaction with earth and sun.  97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, is an all estate wine made by Philippe Melka. This wine is on a fast evolutionary track, with complex notes of cedar wood, licorice, blackcurrants and tobacco leaf, all from a medium-bodied wine with light tannin, luscious fruit and a delicious, supple mouthfeel.  
REG. $90,  CAPITOL CELLARS PRICING…$79.95


ROMBAUER 2015 Carneros CHARDONNAY...We have the only magnums left of this great vintage. Only 24 left…call to reserve yours!!  

CAPITOL CELLARS SPECIAL PRICING…$64.95


OLEMA 2014 Sonoma County CHARDONNAY…#1 in "Best of 2016: Robert Parker, Top 3 Greatest Value Wines of the Year"...The 2014 Chardonnay Olema from Sonoma is a heck of a bottle of wine, with honeysuckle,

lemon blossom and a touch of white peach all present in this wine that offers clean, pure fruit, medium body and a distant hint of wood. This is a terrific value and sleeper selection.   
CAPITOL CELLARS SPECIAL PRICING…$13.95


CULT 2014 Napa Valley CABERNET SAUVIGNON…CULT wine is SENSATIONAL and is made by long time winemaker Rich Salvestrin of Salvestrin Winery, who has had many Cabernets receive scores well above 90 points from Wine Advocate. The 2014 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was developed exclusively for restaurants and select wine merchants to provide a phenomenal wine. The result was better than anyone expected.

Comprised of fruit sourced from three prestigious California growing regions of Napa Valley, Lake County, and Lodi the Cult Cabernet Sauvignon is beautifully balanced and layered. The elegant tannins & fruit explodes with ultra plush, rich, lush, and silky flavors full of ripe plums, dusty blackberries & black currants, and layers of spice. In a nutshell, the 2014 Cult Cabernet Sauvignon is just a BIG, BOLD, DRINIKING-AT-PEAK, HEAD-TURNER of a wine that can be enjoyed simply on its own.

Leading with a nose of blackberries and black currants, the palate sees layers of spice and berries with chewy tannins and a sophisticated, silky finish.  
REG. $30 CAPITOL CELLARS unbelievable PRICING…$19.95


AARON WINES begas as a vision to create wines that were a detour from conventionality, an ideology that no doubt stemmed from their desire to create a new fingerprint on an otherwise well-established status quo. Winemaker Aaron Jackson has spent a combination of many years procuring oenology degrees at various institutions around the world, along with working alongside some of California's greatest winemakers. He launched Aaron with his first commercial vintage in 2002. Aequoria means “of the sea” and relates to how close the vineyards are to the ocean.

AEQUOREA 2016 "Spanish Springs Vineyard" San Luis Obispo VIOGNIER...This Viognier probably one of the best white wines I have tasted in many years….& I don’t even like Viogniers. This vineyard, only two miles from the ocean in Pismo Beach is at the extreme for any vineyard. Producing only ¼ ton per acre where other vineyards are getting 4 ton per acre, one can understand the passion but not the monetary loss. But it is this passion that allows Aaron to get the ripeness of fruit without sacrificing the acidity. 
CAPITOL CELLARS Price $29.95

AEQUOREA 2014 "Derby West Vineyard" San Luis Obispo PINOT NOIR...Derby West is one of the most extreme vineyards properties I've ever seen in California, sitting on a slope overlooking the Pacific Ocean just 1.5 miles away. Lying just south of the town of San Simeon, it is pounded by daily wind and fog, exemplifying a cool, coastal climate probably better than anywhere I can imagine. But arising from the struggle the vines face on a daily basis is a wine that is amazingly pure and focused. Deep, intense aromatics of Damson plum, smoked meat, black rose, and white pepper. High toned and pure on the palate, it has loads of black fruit, minerals and smoke, with a backbone of dashing acidity. ONLY 74 cases produced!!  
CAPITOL CELLARS Price $39.95